appeal to african-americans the author of the book "hating whitey." i am mentally preparing myself to do a correction on these matters when it turns out i'm being punked and this can't possibly be the truth. but until then, stay tuned. "weekends with alex witt" starts now. boiling point. the latest on north korea's missile threat, and the u.s. talks that are ongoing right now in hopes of stopping any nuclear launch. it's not over yet. imagine a spring storm that could dump up to a foot of snow. yep, expected to happen over the weekend. day 43 of the sequester. and some children are getting hit hardest by those yeah cross the board budget cuts. "42." the new film about breaking one of the biggest barriers in sports history. we'll get a preview and what critics are saying. good morning, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex witt." now here's what's happening out there. new steps are being taken this morning to defuse the tension as

north korea prepares for a potential missile launch. secretary of state john kerry arrived in beijing late friday, and today, he is meeting with chinese leaders in an effort to persuade them to put real pressure on pyongyang. while in south korea friday, kerry issued a stern warning to north korea's kim jong-un. >> kim jong-un needs to understand, as i think he probably does, what the outcome of the conflict would be. >> kerry's trip came after a pentagon intelligence assessment surfaced earlier this week suggesting north korea may have developed the ability to fire a nuclear-tipped missile. friday kerry and other u.s. officials insisted there is no real proof that north korea has the ability to do just that. earlier this week, the japanese army set up a battery of interceptor missiles in tokyo as the nation braces itself for what could come next. so what does north korea hope to get from all of this? nbc's jim maceda is live in seoul with more on that. what in the world is the answer

to that question? >> well, before we get into that, i've got some interesting news, alex, which follows from the other steps that are being taken. these steps may already be having some effect. south korea's official news agency said this afternoon that four or five of those missile launchers that we've been talking so much about, in north korean -- that north korean test site, suddenly stopped all activity. since then, since this afternoon, there's been no more movement that has been monitored at that site. that would suggest that the north koreans are delaying the launch of one or more of their musudan, those medium-range missiles. it's unclear why they would do this. but some south korean sources have said that the north koreans may now be looking, or wanting to review, the offer made last night by secretary of state john kerry. to return to the six-party talks, those talks that have

been on hold now for the past eight years. if you recall, kerry proposed that if north korea stopped its nuclear arms program, the united states would support economic and financial aid to north korea. that's a formula which failed miserably in the past, because north korea was always secretly continuing its nuclear program. for weeks now, alex, north has been raising the tension level on this peninsula, and throughout the region, with those increasingly hostile threats. we had the nuclear strike threat on south korea and the u.s. that was followed by strong warnings that it was preparing to launch a missile, or multiple missiles starting, as you recall, as early as april 10th, but most likely to strike this monday, the 15th, the birthday of kim jong-un's grandfather, kim il-sung and a most important day on north korea's calendar. the young kim was reportedly infuriated after u.s. sanctions were clamped down.

this for background. and that was in response to new missile and nuclear tests over the winter. but many here believe that pyongyang's threats are part of a -- an old pattern. pressuring the international community to giving up concessions to north korea. it's one of the world's poorest countries, and that concession is usually in the form of cash. anyhow, we're looking, we're monitoring the situation very carefully with these missile launchers, because that could be a turning point. >> yeah. some very good news on that front. and that may have answered the question what does north korea hope to get from this. and that may, indeed, be the return to the talks, as you've said. jim maceda, thank you very much for the developments. now, in indonesia, a plane ended up in the sea after skidding off a runway on the resort island of bali. the airplane with over 100 passengers on board originated d in the indonesian city of bangon

was and attempting to land in bali. passengers and crew were being pulled from the water. the cause of the accident has yet to be determined. no casualties have been reported. to politics now, new this morning the mother of one of the sandy hook victims is delivering the president's weekly address. francine wheeler's 6-year-old son ben was killed in december, along with 19 other children and six educators in newtown, connecticut. wheeler, joined by her husband, is pushing congress to pass new gun control measures. >> sometimes i close my eyes and up i can remember is that awful day, waiting at the sandy hook volunteer firehouse for the boy who would never come home. the same firehouse that was home to ben's tiger scout den 6. but other times, i feel ben's presence filling me with courage for what i have to do, for him,

and all the others taken from us so violently, and too soon. please help us do something before our tragedy becomes your tragedy. >> joining me right now, white house correspondent for the hill amie parnes. congressional reporter for "the washington post" ed o'keefe. okay, i'm a mom. that was hard to watch. super powerful message there. good grief. it's unprecedented, though, that the president doesn't do his own weekly address. i mean, he's given up his space to one of the mothers of the sandy hook victims. talk about that, amie. >> well, i think that that's exactly right. i mean i'm not a mom and it chokes me up every time i hear a message like that. and that was effective this week, too, when the president was in connecticut and he had a mother who lost her son introduce him. i think that the white house believes that this is the most powerful message that they can send. it even trumps the bully pulpit and i think that we'll see more of that. you saw the president flying in the families this week with him, when we traveled back from connecticut, they were on board with us on air force one.

and i think the white house does believe that they are the most powerful advocates for the this. they're the reasons why this thing is moving like it is. earlier in the week it wasn't. it looked like gun control wouldn't happen. and now, you know, background checks, and now it looks like there will be a deal of some kind. so i think they do think that this is effective for them. >> oh, yeah, absolutely. and i read that senator murphy in connecticut was saying that you couldn't walk anywhere in capitol hill in the halls without running into someone who had been a victim of gun violence and their family and their loved ones. it was a pretty powerful push this week. ed the latest article you co-wrote says that changes to the gun bill could weaken the current laws. i mean could this possibly be a net negative? >> you know, some gun control advocates are very concerned about that. one of the big issues that may come forth over the next few weeks as the senate debates this is the issue of national reciprocity. which is an idea that if you get a state-issued concealed carry permit in one state you'd be

able to have that apply in every other state across the country. similar to how driver's licenses are, you know, recognized by every other state. of course, gun control advocates say that a concealed carry license is nothing like a driver's license, but just in theory that's the concept that they're kind of talking about here. you know, this plan actually got 48 58 out of the necessary 60 votes back in 2009, and the way the senate has changed in recent years suggests that there might actually be enough votes there to help make that happen. but, it's seen as a bridge too far for some democrats who say that they think they'll be able to hold back some of the democrats who voted for it before, because it's just seen as something that's too difficult. you'll also see a bunch of proposals, probably, regarding expanding funding, and different programs regarding mental health care, especially for military veterans returning from iraq and afghanistan, and you'll see some gop alternatives to the bill introduced, as well. but in most cases, these amendments will require at least 60 votes of support because

they'll, you know, invoke various procedural rules that would require 60 to get it through. and that should make it more difficult for them to pass. thus holding them off, which is what democrats would prefer. >> yeah. all right, guys. let's switch to the budget now. we have the president's budget which, includes, of course, those cuts to medicare and social security. democrats are saying the president started off giving up too much already. how much room does that leave him to negotiate, amie? >> well, i think that he was mostly sending a message to republicans, showing that he is willing to compromise. and this was an olive branch of sorts. but i think that the democrats and president obama have said that they're not willing to compromise on entitlement cuts if they don't see, as part of a grand bargain, if they don't see revenues. so i think that we're a long ways away from that. this is just the president's proposal, and we'll see what's to come from that. >> what about the big dinner this week, ed? the president doing that with the senate republicans, budget talks certainly on the menu there. are the president's compromises

on social security, medicare enough to satisfy the gop appetite for the cuts? >> i think it's -- it's enough to satisfy senate republicans. house republicans a little more skeptical, because they say, look, a lot of this isn't new. nice to see and talk about entitlement cuts but there's a lot of other things in this budget we don't like. we know there was another round of dinner conversation, if you will, steak and salad, amie. >> yeah, exactly. >> and there were -- a bunch of senators there, johnsy isaacson of georgia, susan collins of main, john barrasso of arkansas -- or sorry, john bozeman, senator bozeman of arkansas and just a chance to talk, again, this is designed to get around senate gop leadership, which hasn't been in the mood to talk to the president, and frankly has its hands tied because mitch mcconnell and john cornyn face re-election next year and really aren't in the mood to be seen as actually negotiating with the president. but a lot of the senate

republicans come to capitol hill and say, look, it was great. we had a great opportunity to talk about actual issues. and this dinner, there was a bit of a gag order put on it appears because they decided they didn't really want to go back and talk about the details of it. they wanted to sort of preserve the privacy of the white house meeting that they had with the president, which i know, you know, almost to a person, the senators really appreciate having the opportunity to do that. >> yeah. so, amie, final word to you, where -- is there going to be a big, grand bargain? i mean, or is that going to happen? >> i don't know, alex. we're -- i think we're a long way away from that. and i think that, you know, republicans are -- they tell me that they're actually very hopeful that the president is reaching out to them. but we'll see. i think that we are so far from seeing what happens, and the president will continue to do his outreach from what i'm hearing from his advisers. >> okay. love hearing from you both always, amie parnes, ed o'keefe, thank you guys. so are background checks enough in the gun control

effort? you can all talk to me on twitter, @alexwitt. now to weather, in michigan, some areas saw up to a foot of snow as a winter storm continues to threaten parts of the far north. nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer is here with the forecast. good morning, dylan. >> good morning, alex. that big storm system that affected most of the country this past week is finally gone. we are going to see some colder temperatures work into the northeast. but, at least the rain is moving on out of here. it's 41 in new york city. but 30 degrees in minneapolis, where some lighter snow showers are still possible today. we will also see some light snow across northern michigan today, as well, with a couple inches of snow possible. there is a bigger system that's gathering itself across western montana. that is slowly going to spread eastward. it is falling as rain across central and eastern montana. just north of billings. but it is going to cool down as this storm continues to develop. and it does look like we will see more accumulating snow. especially northeastern montana into western north dakota.

that's where we do have the winter storm warnings posted. winter weather advisories in purple there through central and northern minnesota, as well. you can see over the course of now till monday, we are looking at the chance of another 6 to 12 inches of snow in that area. winds will get gusty, as well. so we will have to deal with blowing snow, as well. in the northeast, though, things will clear out. we'll see some sunshine, temperatures in the 50s and 60s. warm across the southern half of the country. and that sticks around all weekend long. dallas should get up to 81 degrees on sunday. we will keep an eye out for some stronger storms across the southeast for the end of the weekend. alex? >> okay, dylan, thanks so much. why ordering a burger at mcdonald's will never be the same. also a question, why is toure so unhappy? >> i'm like, no! like, what? yeah. >> the answer in "office politics." from capital one, bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles

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we will defend our allies. we will stand with south korea, japan, and others against these threats. and we will defend ourselves. >> secretary of state john kerry reminding our allies in asia that the u.s. has their backs. he arrived in china today and called on beijing to help defuse the escalating tension in the korean peninsula. all this following speculation that north korea could be ready to test-fire a missile. joining me now, international security analyst jim walsh who is also with m.i.t. jim, it's good to see you. how optimistic are you that china can get involved here and persuade the north koreans to tone down this belligerent rhetoric or do you think they would even want to? >> well, there are some signs that china is concerned and acting as of 24 hours ago. chinese officials have limited tourism from china in to north korea. essentially closing the border

there for tourists, which generates foreign exchange earnings for north korea. i think that's definitely china sending a message to north korea that it's unhappy. in the end, i think us and the united states sort of assume that china can control north korea, tell it what to do. i think that's an exaggeration. the north koreans and the chinese actually don't like each other very much and the north koreans don't trust the chinese. so they have some leverage and they are definitely sending a signal. how much they can restrain their behavior remains to be seen. >> hmm. hey, jim, two days ago after reading declassified intelligence report from the pentagon, colorado congressman doug lamb born may have let it slip that north korea had the capability to load and launch a nuclear bomb on a missile. secretary kerry downplayed that. >> it is inaccurate to suggest that the dprk has fully tested, developed, or demonstrated capabilities that are articulated in that report. >> where does the truth lie here? >> yeah, that language he used,

not fully developed, tested or demonstrated that nuclear capability, is exactly the language, word for word, that the pentagon issued after that colorado congressman read that paragraph from the report. i know this is a little complicated. but let me just point out, what he did was read a report from the dia, the defense intelligence agency. that is one of 16 different u.s. intelligence agencies. you know, there's the cia, the state department has its own intelligence agency, and so on and so forth. so, i wouldn't take that particular paragraph, particularly after the pentagon disavowed it, as the gospel truth. what people don't pay attention to in that paragraph that he read, is that it goes on to say that they could only -- if they had this capability, it would have, quote, low reliability, which doesn't sound like very much. but that's sort of what the deal is. you don't fire a nuclear missile if you think there's a chance it's going to go up and come back down on top of you,

reliability is the most important quality of a nuclear weapon. in other words, you want to know that when you fire it, it does what it's supposed to do. >> right. >> so i think this might be a tempest in a teapot and that people shouldn't get too freaked out over that. >> what about monday with north korea celebrating the anniversary of the state's founder kim il-sung. what are the odds they commemorate that with a missile launch and what happens if they do? >> i'm not a betting man but if i was i'd go ahead and bet on that one. the kim il-sung holiday is a huge holiday for them. and what the north koreans are trying to do is fuse the image of the young leader with his grandfather. sort of skipping the generation in between with kim jong-il. so, i would expect that we will see fire foerkworks of one kind or another, most likely including a test of a medium-range missile. and the intention of which will be both domestic, to speak to the north korean domestic audience, but it will also cause

a ripple effect in japan. if they fire it, they'll fire it near japan, on purpose, not aiming it, but near it, and that will cause big problems, a lot of concern and worry in japan. so that's what i would expect over the next couple of days. >> any chance, jim, that after all of this, north korea could actually back down without losing face? >> you know, i think so. i think that the -- this is what secretary kerry's been saying providing off ramps for them. this has got to end at some point. clearly, the big birthday celebration on monday might be one opportunity to point this in a different direction. but it's going to continue to go on until they satisfy their goals. my guess, and we don't know, i always like to underline the fact that we don't really know what's going on, is driven by domestic concerns, and until those domestic dynamics are solid, then my guess is they'll continue on. but, this week, this holiday provides at least the first opportunity for an off ramp to get this pointed in a different direction.

>> jim walsh as always a pleasure come see us again soon. thank you. >> thank you, alex. >> the story of the man behind the number 42, a report on what makes the new movie unique. also we want to hear more from you, so please head over to facebook and search "weekends with alex witt" and like us. ♪ [ slap! ] [ slap! slap! slap! slap! ] ow! ow! [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium-rich tums starts working so fast you'll forget you had heartburn. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums you'll forget you had heartburn. and need to get my car fixed? progressive makes it easy, because we give you choices. you can pick where to get your car fixed, we can cut you a check, or, at our service center, we take care of everything for you. [ relaxing music playing ]

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i just stick the bar in the dryer like this, and it freshens my laundry for me so i don't have to think. wait. what was the question? [ male announcer ] how do you get your bounce? [ man ] stick it and forget it. three big money headlines. one, sales slips and slumps. two mental taxation, and three, new mcworld order. so joining me to put all this in perspective, consumer expert regina lewis. >> hi, alex. >> so let's start with this retail slump. even the cheaper gas prices couldn't get people into the stores last month. what's this mean for economic recovery? >> well, you're exactly right about that. and weather may have been a bigger factor than gas prices. you'll remember in february we

talked about retail sales being relatively strong, and everyone thought that was a good sign in terms of the economic recovery. but, in march, not the case. and it was chilly in march. so, it's hard to think about buying a new pair of sandals or patio furniture when it's 30 degrees out. and as jim cramer likes to say, for the home depot and lowe's of the world, this is their christmas, so weather is really, really significant. so what we're looking at is were those pull-forward sales in february, meaning maybe better because of the weather? and then pulled back in march. so we don't know where we stand. >> okay. great. how about the math on the new tax report from the pew research center? that doesn't seem to add up because it says as many as a third of americans actually enjoy doing their taxes. come on. >> well, go figure. i think what americans enjoy is getting a tax refund. and the majority do. they also enjoy a sense of control. 64% of people, i was struck by this, actually have someone else do their taxes.

and there's not a big gender gap. 36% men, 31% of women. and i think the bottom line, alex, is when you're living month to month, the difference between having to write a check or get a check is gigantic. so people like to feel like, you know what? i got this one. what's the math, what are the numbers? i think we're somewhat obsessed with our money and our taxes by extension. >> what about mcdonald's making ordering fast food even quicker? >> they're calling it the new dual point system. it's going to work a little more like starbucks. you're going to order at one point on the counter and then you're going to work your way to the other side where you'll pick up your order. and the truth is, mcdonald's has a customer service problem. they consistently rank in the bottom on that metric. and it's difficult for them to implement changes. you know, service with a smile is hard to execute on when you have 14,000 u.s. restaurants, 90% of them independently owned and operated. meaning you can't just mandate and have across-the-board training. it becomes very hard to have a cultural shift, if you will,

trickle down. >> regina lewis, as always, many thanks. have a good weekend. more of the story behind incredible pictures in bali. why some say this was a miracle. with the spark miles card from capital one, bjorn earns unlimited rewards for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy,

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hold on, prilosec isn't for fast relief. cue up alka-seltzer. it stops heartburn fast. ♪ oh what a relief it is! welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." in a developing story at the half hour, this on the resort island of bali where more than 100 airline passengers are counting their lucky stars because this was the scene earlier this morning after their plane skidded off the runway and ended up in the sea. nbc's anna belle roberts is in our london bureau with more on this story. what's the latest on this? it's a reel miracle landing. >> yes, alex, good morning. it must have been a terrifying experience for all involved. local police say there were more than 100 passengers and crew aboard this lion airplane, a boeing 737 on an internal flight to the island of bali, and all have survived. the jet was attempting to land when it overshot the runway, and fell into the sea from a height of about 160 feet, according to the aviation ministry. it landed in shallow water just

yards from the end of the runway. the fuselage cracked behind the wings. one passenger told local tv holes appeared in the floor of the plane. another one said that everyone on board was screaming, thinking they would drown. now you can make out in some of the pictures people floating in life jackets in the water. they were able to climb out of the aircraft, and swim to safety. helped by rescuers. 22 passengers, i understand, have been taken to the hospital for treatment, for broken bones and head wounds according to paramedics. but most of the passengers were escorted in clothes back to the airport terminal and treated there. bali, as you may know, is a very popular holiday destination so it's thought most of the passengers were indonesian. but i've not yet had confirmation of whether there were other nationalities on board. but i can confirm that all passengers and crew survived. incredibly lucky to have lived through this ordeal of their plane ditching in the sea. alex? >> it is an extraordinary story. and you know, fortunately at

this point, no significant injuries. no fatalitiefatalities. it is a miracle. annabel roberts, thank you so much. to washington now and the president and first lady have filed their 2012 taxes. the president made less last year than in any other year since making office almost $609,000. which is $180,000 than in 2011. lower effective federal tax rate of 18.4%. the loss of income is due to the president's declining book sales, the obamas donated almost a quarter of their income to charity. president obama's budget proposal is drawing fire from democrats who say it gives away too much to republicans on entitlements and would shrink social security checks for senior citizens. joining me now, democratic congressman john yard mouth member of the budget committee and a good day to you. always nice to see you. thanks for joining us. >> thanks, alex. good to be with you. >> i want to get your reaction to the president's budget proposal. >> well, i think it's a mixed bag for many of us. we like a lot of the investments that the budget makes in

education, to particularly early childhood education and infrastructure and research. we are not as thrilled with the approach to social security and medicare. particularly with social security on social security has nothing to do with the deficit. it doesn't add to the deficit, and we don't really think it should be a part of any kind of deficit reduction package. but, in general, the budget is a very balanced approach, it does provide for new revenues, as well as for spending cuts, and from that perspective, i think thematically anyway it's what most of us would like to see. >> the words unpopular, unwise, and unworkable have been used. your fellow democrats on the congressional democratic caucus have used that. what do you think? >> well, you know, i think there's a difference of opinion as to what these -- the adoption of chain cpi would actually do.

one estimate was that it would reduce income developed over the long-term by about 1,000. social security beneficiary. that would be a nonstarter. another estimate i saw was it's $9 a month less in terms of increases over the next few years. so, we really need to get a better handle on what it would mean to senior citizens, because a third of all social security beneficiaries rely on their benefits for all of their income, two-thirds for half their income or more. so when you're talking about any kind of reduction in their benefits for many, many seniors, this would be pretty disastrous. so, you know, the president says he would like to see protections in there for the most vulnerable seniors, eliminating the -- the reductions for people over 75. i'd like to get a better handle on those before i actually render a final judgment personally. but, i think this would be a real, real difficult problem for most democrats. >> but in terms of negotiating,

and having the room to negotiate, did the president leave himself no room to do that by giving away too much up front? or do you think the intent of this budget is, at this point, regarding these things, the buck has stopped there, there will be no negotiating on those issues? >> well, i think that's probably right. we -- we had a hearing the other day, in the budget committee, with the director of the office of management and budget, and basically he said, you know, the reason we put this change in for cpi was because of speaker boehner and leader mcconnell, that they were the two who demanded that it be part of any pockage. so he really didn't endorse the policy so much as saying, basically, this was our concession to republican leadership. so, again, i think he did essentially say that that's what it was. this was giving away a negotiating chip. >> what about overall the tax code? because this plan doesn't simplify it. it uses a targeted approach to increases, and some breaks.

is that not a further step in the wrong direction? >> yeah, you know, we've got to quit playing games with the tax code. it's time that the congress get its act together, and engage in comprehensive tax reform. i know it's tough. it will take -- it's hard to believe that we can actually get it all done in one congress, as complicated as it will be. but this is the kind of thing that we've got to do for the american people. republicans say they want it, they're in control of the ways and means committee and i know they're talking about it. but we need to actually go through the exercise and say, what do we -- what are we trying to do? how much money do we need to run the government? and how are we going to get it most effectively and make it simple for the american taxpayer? and make it fair for the american taxpayer. we've got a trillion dollars worth of what we call tax expenditures, special breaks that go to a wide range of people. but mostly to the most affluent americans. it's time to take this on because again you're absolutely right, dealing with deductions

for charitable -- limiting deductions for 28% or taking some of these special interests and tweaking them, this isn't the way we should do taxes. we've -- it's time we get a modern tax code and a fair irone. >> let me ask you a wee bit about the political increek that's brewing in your home state this week with the secret recording of mitch mcconnell and staffers talking about ashley judd. it seems as if this is backfiring on the liberal group that recorded mcconnell and he's coming out looking like the victim. what's your take on this? >> well, first of all, the so-called super pac is two basic amateurs, young guys who have no more than $1,000. that's all they've raised. i mean, this is like -- these are like petty thieves. and so what they do is kind of inconsequential. and they obviously don't -- it's the gang that couldn't shoot straight essentially. they make mistake after mistake. they're an embarrassment to the system. they're an embarrassment to

politics. they ought to just retire from this effort. you're absolutely right, they have been able to generate a certain amount of sympathy for senator mcconnell which is very hard to do. but his numbers are still pretty pathetic. his job approval rating last week, one poll 36%, 54% disapproved. he's still very vulnerable. he's not liked in kentucky. and hoping to plan a very strong candidate to oppose him. and of course what we can't lose sight of is the fact that in that conversation they were talking about using ashley judd's self-described mental issues during her many, many years ago, and using that for political purposes, and senator mcconnell said -- didn't say a word in terms of whether that was appropriate or not. so can't forget the substance of that conversation. >> yeah. and nor can we forget the one from you. thank you so much, representative john yarmuth. good to see you. in this week's "office politics" my nbc colleague and co-host of the cycle toure we look for the

controversy his week around brad paisley and ll cool j's new song accidental racist but we began by discussing toure's take on president obama's budget proposal. >> i'm nervous, because we have republican party that is obstructionist, that is not incented to work with him. that is incentivized to go home and say, i stood up to the president. i yelled at him, in a town hall or i wagged my finger in his face when he came to my state, or, you know, i -- i blocked his defense secretary choice, you know, or i -- i mean people are getting lots and lots of points for these things. and the budget, taxes, entitlements, this is a core republican issue. i think more so than for democrats. so, to say, you know, i didn't give in to the president on these budget issues, on taxes, he wants to raise your taxes, and i said no, you've got your revenue increase, no more.

that's still valuable for them. so when he says, i'm going to give you this, cuts to these core programs that people love, that people need, that poor people in america need, middle-class people really don't even need these as much as poor people need these, when he says i'll give in on this, and we know they're not moving. they don't care. they'd rather shut down the government to further prove that government is the problem, right? the real government, to prove government is the problem -- >> give me your opinion, though, on this involves schull new song, the accidental racist. where does it go wrong? >> the thing that surprised a lot of us, because people are calling me like oh, my god you've got to listen to this song, was not that brad paisley goes, you know, awry, or astray. he does. but for a lot of reasons i don't necessarily expect anything from him, right? and he's -- you know, he's apologetic in some ways. but in other ways, i'm like you

are trying to be like, you know, woe is me, i have white privilege, it's not my fault. and i'm like, wait a minute. but then when ll cool j -- and we've known ll since he was 17 and radio and like he's never been a political rapper. but, you know, he's been a strong figure, he's been a central figure, an important figure, his verse is not that bad. right? i moon he talks about i feel like a new fangled django dealing with invisible whitehood and i'm like, okay. like, i like that line. but then we go into the last course, and now we go into real problems where ll first gives us this false equivalent of don't judge me for my do-rag, and i won't judge you for your red flag. entirely two different things. it's flag, and an article of

clothing. right? and if brad put on the do-rag, then nobody would think anything, right? so it's clear like you know black signifiers if ll had a hoodie, oh, my god we're afraid of him. but when, you know, justin timberlake wears a hoodie or justin bieber then it's cute, right? that's not equivalent to the flag of the confederacy, right? but then, ll cool j says, if you forgive my gold chains, i'll forget the iron chain. and i'm like, no! like, what? what? we're going to forget slavery? if you don't judge me because i'm wearing a gold chain. are you kidding me? >> well, we'll have more of our conversation today at noon. we're going to talk about the passion on both sides in the gun

control debate. also talk about toure's new book on iconic prince and yes of course rocker prince. i'm going to get more coffee before we do that. we'll have a look at the new film 42. coming up next. it? no. okay. this, won't take long will it? no, not at all. how many of these can we do on our budget? more than you think. that didn't take very long, did it? this spring, dig in and save. that's nice. post it. already did. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. dig in and save with miracle-gro potting mix, a special buy at two bags for just $10. we all have one. that perfect spot. a special place we go to smooth out the ripples of the day. it might be off a dock or on a boat. upstream or in the middle of nowhere. wherever it may be, casting a line in the clear, fresh waters of michigan lets us leave anything weighing us down back on shore.

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>> it was a bit intimidating, at first. because you want to make sure that you get it right for all the people that view him as a hero. you know that children will be introduced to him as a player. >> reporter: with harrison ford as the dodgers' forward-thinking general manager, the film chronicles a hurtful chapter in american history as robinson is threatened by fans, even some players. the 1955 world series winner accepted his role as a pioneer. his widow rachel, now 90 years old, in an interview to air on sunday's "meet the press," remembers. >> anything he did that was contrary to what was expected might destroy the opportunity. so he was careful, and patient, in his behavior on the field, and off the field. >> reporter: the baseball hall of famer retired from the game in 1956, but never stopped

speaking out for civil rights for everyone. at jackie robinson park in harlem, black and white kids played the game together, the way robinson dreamed it. >> he's a great hero. >> why? >> because he played really hard, even though the people were yelling at him. >> he overcame challenges and became one of the greatest baseball players. >> the movie celebrates robinson's life that inspired the country to think of itself in a different way. rehema ellis, nbc news. >> the cold cuts of the sequester are now leaving the fate of some schoolchildren up to chance. that's next. for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card

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it's now 43 days since the government delivered the across the board bilge cuts. the sequestration has doled out its share of hardship in areas

far and wide. like columbus, illinois where it's left up to a lottery. >> reporter: good morning to you alex. it certainly is. remember when the sequester first took effect there was a lot of debate about what the actual impact would be. not everyone has been affected but a lot of families will tell you the sequester is making life more difficult. tiffany jones a single mother of three say her 4-year-old and 5-year-old were excited about returning to school this spring. >> we loved it. it was good teaching for the kids. they've helped potty train. abcs. colors, everything. >> reporter: they were students at this columbus, indiana head start a program that helps low-income families afford pre-school. >> my kids were in a school where i felt they were safe. the teachers i trusted. they were protected.

it was community people. >> reporter: two weeks ago a major blow her kids like dozens of others in columbus would be staying home all because of the sequester. those deep across the board spending cuts that forced federal programs like head start to cutback. in columbus that meant holding a lottery to see which students would stay or go. her children's names didn't get picked. >> she's reading off the names and you're praying for her to read your name. she hasn't said my name yet. you get down to the end of the name and they tell you that's it. it's a shock. it's a shock. >> reporter: administrators are reeling. >> not a fun couple of weeks. >> what the cuts represent is taking away from babies and toddlers. >> reporter: this is the director of zero to three a washington based group aimed at improving early childhood develops as sequester cuts roll in nationwide he and other

advocates have been urging congress and president obama to find a way to protect vital programs for low-income families. >> they will be facing a lack of child care, they will be facing cuts to nutrition programs, they will be facing cuts to positive early learning experiences. in the short run it affects their long term development. >> reporter: the white house means 4 million fewer meals for seniors. 600,000 women and children could be dropped from the nutrition assistance program. and more than 100,000 could be removed from shelters including military veterans. and while some have accused the administration of exaggerating the numbers, many economists agree the overall effect of the sequester could eventually be a serious drag on the economy. >> so, if we have fewer jobs available, if we have a higher unemployment rate, it's going to have a disproportionate impact

on lower income americans. >> reporter: still with critical programs like the columbus head start already feeling the sting, these parents are hoping washington will do something. >> write, call congress, senators. any representative you can. >> these are our children. like these are the people that are going to carry us into our future. like these are people that need education. we're supposed to nurture them when they are younger, and make them grow. >> reporter: education officials say it's tough to estimate exactly how many kids have been kicked off the head start programs nationwide so far but they say ultimately as many as 70,000 could have to leave the programs. now president obama, lawmakers could sit down and figure out a way to shut the sequester off. president obama has a plan in his budget. but my sources are telling me it's unlikely that will happen in the near future.

that's a wrap of this hour of weekend with alex wit. straight ahead let's take the cameras to the premier of "up with steve kornacki." >> across the country we'll see storm system finally move out. cooler weather works in the northeast with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. warm air sal across the southern half of the country. stronger storms possible across central florida today. we'll see thunderstorms in montana, turns into snow by tomorrow.

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